This invention relates to an actuator for valves, and more particularly for gate valves which may be used to control flow within oil or gas pipelines either above or below sea level.
Known systems used both above and below sea level for controlling the opening and closing of gate valves are either hydraulic, pneumatic or electro-hydraulic actuators, and the most common of these is the hydraulic type. These actuators generally utilize an externally controlled flow of hydraulic fluid, under pressure, to drive a piston within an actuator cylinder. This cylinder compresses a spring stack and moves the valve stem to open or close the valve depending on its configuration. In an emergency situation when the valve must be shut quickly, the spring force can be used to achieve this.
However, hydraulic actuators have a number of operational disadvantages that would make the actuator unsuitable for some subsea applications. For example, as the distance between the hydraulic actuator and the top-side control center increases, the amount of hydraulic fluid needed to fill the lines and operate the valve also increases. Over long distances the fluid can lose pressure and therefore accumulators have to be installed close to the actuator to back up the pressure. Within some existing systems the time between a signal being sent from a control center and the actuator responding to the signal can be a matter of minutes, which in emergency situations can be too long. Furthermore, when the distance between the two sites reaches an optimum length, the hydraulic actuator will not be able to operate at all. An increase in water depth can also affect the actuator performance. The cost and size of the hydraulic lines and umbilicals also greatly increase as the operational depths and distances compound. It has therefore become apparent that a new design of actuator is required that will not be affected by depth/distance and that will have a fast response time, and it has been decided that an all electric valve actuator will meet these requirements.